The Alabama Gulf Coast is one of the prettiest places there is and a popular destination for thousands of over-wintering Snowbirds each year. Not us. We layered up and took ourselves on a little retirement recon trip to Missoula, Montana.

One of the biggest challenges for writers, particularly writers of fiction, is to lend life to the characters they create. Here are a few things to think about as you’re clicking away at your NANOWRIMO goal or having your go at the Great American Novel.